1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains, in general, to automotive hardware and the like, and in particular, to a power recliner for vehicle seatbacks.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent-vintage automobiles are frequently equipped with individual seats in which the seatback is adjustably-reclinable by the occupant for riding comfort. Typically, these seats have the backrest attached to the seat by a hinging mechanism which incorporates, or operates in conjunction with, a hand-actuated lever having a dog for engaging one of a plurality of teeth on a semicircular rack, with which the position of the seatback may be adjusted manually by the occupant.
Other seatback reclining mechanisms may employ a gear train in which some mechanical advantage is afforded to the user during the adjustment procedure. One such apparatus which has relevance to the instant invention is the "Hinge Mount" disclosed by Esser in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 302,047, which includes a "wobble gear adjuster" having an outer gear integrally formed on a hinged mount secured to the seat proper and an inner gear integrally formed on a hinged mount secured to the reclinable backrest and a handle-driven eccentric cam for driving the external gear within the internal gear in a relatively-compact package.
Mechanisms employing other kinds of gear trains for mechanical advantage are known, but the precision machining requirements necessary to incorporate them reliably within a compact package often render them prohibitively expensive. This requirement for compactness also often results in gear trains having relatively low velocity ratios, which necessitate their use in parallel-driven pairs at the hinge points of the seat and/or preclude their use in practical power-driven applications because of high-input-torque requirements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seatback recliner mechanism which achieves a high gear train value and static load capability within a very compact package. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which can be operated smoothly with either a manually-adjusted handle or a relatively low-output-torque electric motor which, in turn, may be located remotely from the apparatus itself. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which is relatively inexpensive to fabricate in mass production, yet which is safe and reliable in operation and capable of withstanding the rigors of hard, continual use.